Serena Williams' ex-coach casts doubts on 'disappointing' Coco Gauff matching American's 23 Slam count after bold claim

Serena Williams' ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, expressed doubts about Coco Gauff’s aim to reach the American legend's Grand Slam tally. The Aussie explained that Gauff has consistently pursued that goal, but Williams was racking up titles at her age.

During the latest episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, Stubbs and Caitlin Thompson talked about the 2025 season and how the WTA stars performed.

While talking about the 21-year-old American Gauff, Stubbs noted that she has openly stated her ambition to win the most Grand Slams and become one of the greatest players of all time, even comparing her goals to the career of Serena Williams.

"That’s her words, not mine. She has consistently sort of put it out there and not been afraid to say that she wants to be as great as Serena Williams. And I’m like, okay, well, they won a lot of major titles when they were eighteen, nineteen, twenty," Stubbs said (from 18:20).

The 54-year-old Aussie found the goal somewhat 'disappointing' because it puts enormous pressure on Gauff to accumulate titles quickly.

"Okay, you’ve got two unbelievable, at your age to do what you’ve done. So if you want to get to twenty, you gotta win two for ten years, or you’re gonna win a lot in a short period of time, depending on how long you want to play for. So I think in some respects that’s disappointing because she wants to rack them up," she added.

At 21, Gauff has won two Grand Slam titles, including the 2023 US Open and the 2025 French Open. Meanwhile, at the same age, Serena Williams won four Grand Slam titles. She won three more before turning 25, and her peak came soon after as she won 16 more by age 35.

---

Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs appreciated a different side of Coco Gauff that was seen in 2025

Coco Gauff at the WTA Finals 2025 - Source: Getty

While speaking about Coco Gauff during her latest podcast episode, Serena Williams' ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, acknowledged another side of the young American, which is an unusually balanced personality for a young star.

"The other part of me is like, Coco Gauff is such a balanced human being that she has also talked about, 'Look, I know that winning doesn’t define me as a person.' And she talked about that a lot this year. She has got this different perspective on winning and losing as well... In that respect, she would look at this year as a success, right, and be like, I’m doing great, I’m making a lot of money, I won another major title," Rennae Stubbs said.

However, Stubbs also remarked on the inconsistencies that marked Gauff’s year. She talked about the "breakdowns," the double faults, and the recurring issues with the forehand.

It was, she said, a very “Coco” kind of season. It included stretches of brilliance followed by stretches where it was hard to understand what was happening.

Notably, Coco Gauff finished the season ranked World No. 3 with a 48-16 record in 2025. She won two titles, including the French Open and the Wuhan WTA 1000, and earned almost $8,000,000 in prize money.